Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman will undergo surgery in a Phoenix hospital to repair facial fractures but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game, the team doctor announced Thursday.
“He has a very mild concussion, no other brain injury, his eye’s fine,” Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek said. “He’s a very lucky guy.”
Kremchek said a metal plate will be inserted in the bone and will remain there permanently. He says Chapman has a very mild concussion but no other brain injury and no injury to his eye.
Kremchek said Chapman could be out of the hospital as soon as Saturday. The left-hander is expected to be out six to eight weeks.
—Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Brandon Beachy will have Tommy John surgery in his right elbow for the second time on Friday and is expected to miss the entire season, the team announced Thursday.
The Braves said Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Neal ElAttrache will operate in Los Angeles. Beachy’s ulnar collateral ligament was reconstructed by Dr. James Andrews on June 21, 2012, and Beachy returned to go 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 30 innings over five starts from July 29 to Aug. 20 last summer.
—Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias is likely to miss the entire 2014 season with stress fractures in both legs, general manager Dave Dombrowski confirmed Thursday.
There is a small chance that Iglesias will be able to play late in the season. Iglesias is expected to be ready to go in 2015.
Iglesias, 24, has battled shin splints for most of his career. Iglesias, acquired by Detroit from the Boston Red Sox in a three-team trade in July, is regarded as one of baseball’s top defensive shortstops. He hit .303 in 350 at-bats last year.
—New York Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese will open the season on the disabled list, but is expected to still pitch in the team’s first homestand, ESPN.com reported Thursday.
The plan is for Niese, who was scheduled to start the March 31 opener against the Washington Nationals, to pitch in the sixth game of the season on April 6 against the Cincinnati Reds.
—Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will be the Opening Day starter for a third consecutive uear on March 31 against the New York Mets, manager Matt Williams announced.
“He has experience there. He’s done it before,” Williams said Wednesday night of Strasburg, according to The Washington Post. “And he’s earned it.”
In his 2012 Opening Day start against the Chicago Cubs, the 25-year-old Strasburg pitched seven innings, allowed one run and struck out five in a 2-1 victory. In 2013, Strasburg pitched seven shutout innings and struck out three in a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
—Alex Rodriguez hasn’t paid millions of dollars in legal bills he owes the lawyers and private investigators who worked for him in his legal battle with Major League Baseball, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
The newspaper said Rodriguez racked up about $4 million in legal and investigative fees as he battled with MLB officials over the historic season-long doping suspension handed down by commissioner Bud Selig in August.
The Daily News reported that Rodriguez has paid some of the bills, but he still owes his attorneys and private investigators as much as $3 million for the work they did in his unsuccessful attempt to have his ban overturned.